Parents should avoid taking their children on flights if they have one common condition, according to health experts.

Mums and dads are putting other passengers at risk on infestation thanks to a common complaint regularly suffered by 45 per cent of children.

The problem is all down to head lice, and the fact the adults and eggs can survive up to 48 hours after leaving a child's head, reports Dublin Live .

According to experts, this means airplane seats and headrests which are used by different passengers up to five times a day could be a simple way to spread the insects.

Speaking to The Sun, pharmacist Shamir Patel, founder of online pharmacy Chemist-4-U.com , said: “Some short-haul planes are performing four or five flights every single day, and if the seat comes into contact with a passenger with head lice, it’s very probable that some of the bugs could linger in the headrest.

“I’d urge families not to fly if they know either themselves or their children have a head lice infestation, in order to protect other passengers."

Experts have revealed that you don't need direct 'hair to hair' contact to transfer head lice.

In fact they can survive for up to two days after leaving a warm human body - meaning they could be lurking on seats and in headrests.

Consultant Dermatologist Dr Sharon Wong said: "They can survive off the human host for up to 48 hrs. So within that time frame, lice and eggs that have dropped off the hair shaft or hair strands that are infested with lice can potentially be cross transferred to another person by objects such as pillows, hairbrushes… and headrests.”

Experts from the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said new stats showed head lice are on the rise in the UK with 45 per cent of parents saying their children had head lice in the last five years.

Shamir Patel added: “There are good preventative, pre-emptive sprays and shampoos available which stop head lice infesting you in the first place.

“Look for products that contain the ingredients cyclomethicone and isopropyl myristate - which kill the lice by essentially dissolving the outer coating of their shell and dehydrating them to death.”